Survey: What use do European General Practitioners make of eHealth?

A representative EU-wide survey is underway to provide up-to-date figures

Published: 10/08

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - (HealthTech Wire) - Three quarters of European General Practitioners in the EU15 were already active internet users and online in 2002, as was revealed by a Eurobarometer survey. This is in line with global results presented by a recent Commonwealth Fund study. However, as Anne Bucher, Head of the Lisbon Strategy Unit at the European Commission's DG Information Society and Media (DG INFSO), observed: “All of these results do not allow us an in-depth understanding of the real extent, the driving forces and the barriers to wider ICT use by family doctors in Europe”.

In the European eHealth Action Plan of 2004, “Benchmarking” is mentioned as a key action point: “Progress also needs to be measured.” It is against this background that the EC has commissioned in 2007 a study to collect and analyse up-to-date data on these issues. empirica, Bonn (Germany) is coordinator of this 29-country study to representatively measure the use of ICT by primary care physicians in EU and EEA countries. Topics covered concern not only their use of ICT and Internet for administrative purposes, but particularly their ways and means of communication with patients, between primary and secondary care and other eHealth agencies, and key enablers and barriers.

The final results will be presented in time for the next Ministerial eHealth conference in May 2008 under the Slovenian Presidency.

For the healthcare sector, suitable indicators for measuring and monitoring progress of eHealth are not yet available. Through this survey up-to-date information and data on eHealth developments will be obtained, and an appropriate benchmarking framework and procedure for eHealth monitoring at European level will be defined. This, along with 29 Country Briefs for each of the 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland, will enable EU Member States to monitor their performance.

Benchmarking of progress is an important element of the Commission's contribution to the improvement of public services. This study supports the i2010 Initiative which the European Commission adopted in June 2005 to create a European Information Society for growth and employment.

The final results will be published beginning of 2008 on ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/benchmarking/index_en.htm